2000
#2,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.06
Uncommon Last name
Linton
Derived from a place name meaning "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,826 Americans carry the last name Linton. That puts it at #2,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linton surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Linton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,658
Census rank
#2,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,801 bearers of the surname Linton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linton, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linton
The surname LINTON is of English origin, derived from various place names in England. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 12th century, likely stemming from the Old English words "lind" meaning "lime tree" and "tun" meaning "settlement" or "town".
The name LINTON was initially associated with several villages and towns across England, including Linton in Cambridgeshire, Linton in Derbyshire, Linton in Herefordshire, and Linton in Yorkshire. These place names were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, indicating the existence of these settlements during the Norman conquest of England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname LINTON was Walter de Linton, who lived in the 13th century and was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1203. Another notable figure was John de Linton, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Northumberland from 1331 to 1337.
In the 16th century, Elizabeth Linton (1557-1644) was a prominent figure in the English Reformation, known for her support of Protestant ideals and her alliance with Puritan leaders. Sir Thomas Linton (1555-1628) was an English nobleman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of King James I.
During the 17th century, William Linton (1617-1664) was an English engraver and print publisher who played a significant role in the development of mezzotint printing techniques. In the 18th century, Eliza Lynn Linton (1822-1898) was a renowned English novelist, essayist, and journalist, known for her works exploring social issues and women's rights.
Other notable individuals with the surname LINTON include Sir William Linton (1801-1880), a British civil engineer and pioneer in the construction of railways, and Ralph Linton (1893-1953), an American anthropologist and educator who made significant contributions to the field of cultural anthropology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linton
Among Census respondents with the surname Linton, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Linton bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Linton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.5% · 9,172
- Black or African American23.7% · 3,271
- Two or more races4.4% · 610
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 536
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 80
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linton
Linton appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,354
+694 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.87
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#2,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,801
-553 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,428 | 13,660 | 5.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,524 | 14,354 | 4.87 | +694 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #2,554 | 13,801 | 4.62 | -553 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 30 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Linton surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,524 | #2,554 | -1.2% |
| Count | 14,354 | 13,801 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.87 | 4.62 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linton bearers went from 14,354 to 13,801 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,524 to #2,554.
FAQ
Linton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linton?
Name Census estimates that about 15,826 living Americans carry the surname Linton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,658 residents.
How common is Linton?
Linton ranks #2,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,801 people with the surname Linton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,826), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Linton.
Has Linton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linton went from 14,354 recorded bearers to 13,801. That is a decrease of 553 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,524 to #2,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Linton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linton, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Linton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (9,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.5%), Black (23.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Linton (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Linton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Linton (4.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Linton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.